As The Leaves Begin To Fall
by A Dreaming Songbird
Summary: Jane Crocker knows her friends have had it hard recently. So has she, really. But gosh darnit she is going to make them smile again, and the way to do that is to uphold their annual tradition and go to the Fall Festival! For even in darkness and despair, it's possible to find brightness and laughter. Set in my Magestuck universe but can stand alone; dedicated to LordPeanut.


_I promised to have this out by Halloween. It's still Halloween... barely!_

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><p>Leaves swirled through the air, golden and red and orange with a crackly hint of brown mixed in for good measure. They littered the streets and danced in the breeze, giving the town a joyous feel despite all the hardships of daily life. Fall was finally here, and with it came the nippy autumn winds that sent all the children running with red cheeks and noses as they played outside, and the clear, dry air that felt fittingly like the end of summer, carrying the first hint of winter's chill but without the bite. Jane Crocker took a deep breath of that air and smiled broadly as she walked down the sidewalk, a basket of freshly-picked wildflowers hanging from her elbow as her warm brown cloak fluttered in the breeze. They would bring some cheer to the somewhat austere base of operations as she waited for her three friends to arrive for dinner.<p>

Humming a bright, silly ditty as she went along with a slight spring in her step, Jane reached up to adjust her glasses with one hand and kept walking, enjoying the breeze on her face. Autumn was one of her most favorite times of the year, what with all the memories of apple cider and pies made years ago, when Poppop and Dad were still alive. Even now that they were gone, it wasn't like she was alone; indeed not! Quite to the contrary, she had found herself with a different, rather unconventional family. Strange and silly and odd as they could be, a family they were nonetheless, and she was glad to have them and even more glad to be able to share today with them. She had been looking forward to this day for weeks! Tonight they would all get together and have fun and not worry one whit about politics or money or life in general. Tonight was going to be absolutely _wonderful_.

On the menu for this lovely fall evening were apple pie, a mixed vegetable and meat pot pie, and soft rolls. It had been a Crocker family tradition that they had to make warm, homey food on the day of the Autumn Festival, and Jane was going to uphold it just like she did every year! This time, though, would be a little more special than even last year had, because they were going to celebrate Roxy's triumph over her dark days of alcoholism. It was going to be a surprise party, and Jane was making cookie cake (mostly because she couldn't decide whether to make a grand extravagant cake and have a ball decorating it, or to make a simple batch of cookies because she knew Roxy absolutely loved cookies) just for her friend. It was going to be lovely—Jane just couldn't wait to see the look on Roxy's face!

It was truly, truly stupendous that Roxy had finally overcome her drinking problem. Jane had to admit, sometimes she'd grown exasperated and wondered if it was even possible! Sometimes, the mornings after she'd stayed awake with a sobbing Roxy all night and comforted her and held her, Jane had gone to Jake's apartment, exhausted and fretful and worn, and she'd confided in him that she didn't think it would work. But it had in the end! Roxy had been strong and resilient and Jane couldn't have been prouder of her. Hence the veritable feast and extravagant cookie cake tonight!

Jane merrily skipped down the steps into the darkness of the Tunnels, where she stopped and walked more sedately, feeling the wall and counting her steps to know which passageway to turn down, until reaching the secret panel to open the way to the secret hideaway. Once she was inside and the sliding door seamlessly sealed itself behind her, she made her way to the kitchen, humming brighly again. A few hours of preparation would have everything ready!

Her friends would arrive soon. Jake was scheduled to be here any minute now, really, because he was going to help her cook and decorate a little; Dirk's duty was to distract Roxy and keep her from walking in before the surprise was ready to be unveiled. They were going to message him when everything was ready, and then the remaining two members of the party would show up!

She was really, really excited for tonight. Was it a little childish to be this enthusiastic about the Autumn Festival? Probably, but that didn't unduly bother Jane. She was sixteen, after all! Surely she was allowed to be a little childish. At an Autumn Festival, years upon years ago when she'd been small and shrieked with laughter when Poppop spun her around on the dance floor in the main square, she'd met Roxy, who at the time had been a similarly small, giggling little girl who was dressed in a bright pink-and-grey dress and matching little hat, adorned with decorative cat ears and everything.

The Festival was always fun and lighthearted, too. It was just a time that Jane always looked forward to. She made new good memories there every year, and those were what got her through the cold, lonely winter evenings as she shivered in her drafty apartment. Tonight, they were going to eat a warm, hearty meal, and bundle up in their coats and dresses, and then they were going to go out and drink steaming, hot cider and hot chocolate and stroll around the square as music drifted through the air, and then they would dance the night away and play games and just be ... just be themselves, no worries or grief. That was the goal of tonight. No grief.

Placing the wildflower-laden basket on the table, Jane hurried into the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves and washing her hands. Most of the preparations had already been completed and were ready to be thrown together—for dough, she'd pre-mixed the dry ingredients, so she just had to add yeast, water, and oil, and then throw it into the oven. That would take care of the bread and rolls. Then she would take the pie filling she'd prepared and refrigerated and thaw that, and spread it in the carefully pressed crusts, and bake that. The pot pie would take the longest, because she had to prepare most of it from scratch right now, and it would take longest to bake.

"Well," she told herself, looking at all the pots and pans in the cabinet, "I guess I'd better get busy, then."

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><p>When the last streamer was in place and the pie in the oven was nearly done, Jane stepped back and surveyed their handiwork with satisfaction before she sat down on the carpet in relief, brushing her hair back from her forehead. Jake plopped down beside her, grinning.<p>

"Well, it certainly looks great," he observed, looking around the room with barely contained glee. "And the food smells great, too! Did you tell Strider to skedaddle on over so we can eat?"

Jane laughed and leaned against him. "No, not yet. I'll do that in a moment. I'm just going to take a second and breathe, though! That was some mad scrambling we got up to!" she chuckled. It was not often that she had to rush her cooking quite that much, but it had been worth it. It would be another culinary triumph that could be chalked up to Jane Crocker's skills in the kitchen! Even if it looked like she was never going to realize her childhood dream of starting her own little bakery and café, she could still make food like this for her friends, and that's what she was going to do. After all, it was what she enjoyed.

"Oh, of course," Jake agreed, right before he flopped onto his back, making Jane yelp in surprise as she toppled over on top of him. She shifted so that her head was on his stomach, and Jake idly interlaced his fingers with hers.

"Especially because my communicator is all the way over there," Jane added, flapping her other hand in the general direction of the kitchen countertop. "Somewhere. Wherever it is. The point is, they can wait a second!"

"Yes, they can, indubitably," Jake nodded, grinning, and the two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence, lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling and enjoying the quiet moment after all the frantic hustle and bustle of a few minutes prior.

The room was cheerfully decorated in a multitude of colorful streamers and balloons, and there was a bright banner hanging on the wall opposite the main door that said "We Love You, Roxy!" in shiny bold letters. Above the door was a contraption that Dirk had rigged up, at Jake's request, to dump confetti swirls on the people walking in, which would be Roxy. And then Jane and Jake would pop out and hug her and then they'd all have an amazing dinner and cake. Sure, maybe they were going a little over the top, but there were good reasons for that! Firstly, Roxy loved parties, and tonight was a great night overall. And second...

Well, it had only been about six months since the automobile accident that had claimed Poppop and Dad's lives. During that time, Roxy's drinking had spiraled out of control, Dirk had retreated into himself and become reclusive, somber, and had stopped taking care of himself, and Jake had become overloaded with work as conditions grew more austere, while Jane cut herself away from them all in her own grief. They had had enough sorrow in the past six months. They needed a reason to celebrate, and gosh darnit, they were going to celebrate. Once Jane Crocker made her mind up, buster, there was no changing it!

In general, they'd... they'd been having rough times lately. Tonight would be a good way to put that in the past, to say "No thank you, life, we're going to stick together and we're going to be happy as we do it!"

Jake squeezed her hand, and Jane smiled over at him. "I guess I'll go call Dirk now," she said, sitting up. Jake nodded from his vantage point on the floor.

"Yes, you do that," he said, not getting up, and Jane laughed.

Standing, she went to the kitchen and found her communicator sitting on the countertop, right next to the stack of four plates she'd put out earlier. With a smile, she composed a text message and hit send, bouncing on her feet excitedly as she waited for him to reply. After a few seconds, it emitted a 'ding' and the response showed up:

[message from: Dirk] Okay. See you soon.

"They're on their way!" Jane crowed, walking back over to Jake. He wordlessly held out a hand, a blatant request for her to pull him up, and laughingly Jane obliged, placing her hand in his. Before she could tug him to his feet, though, Jake tugged her back down to the floor, though he caught her as she fell. Jane let out a shriek that turned into another laugh and playfully smacked his arm. "Jake!"

Jake grinned ear-to-ear at her. "Yes?"

"You silly boy!" she told him, and he laughed, pushing himself to a sitting position and letting her sit up, too. Jane shook her head at him and went to ready the preliminary prank.

Within a few minutes, the screen by the door lit up, letting them know that Dirk and Roxy were inside and would be in the room in a few seconds. Both of them snapped to attention, flicking off the lights and diving into their hiding spots near the door, waiting with giddy anticipation.

As they had planned, Dirk entered first, leading Roxy by the hand. She looked at the dark room and reached for the light switch. "I thought you said we were meeting at six?"

"I did," Dirk replied.

"Weird," Roxy shrugged. "Jane and Jake are usually on time." She flipped the switch, and immediately Jane and Jake popped out, laughing.

"Surprise!" they both called, smearing her cheeks with palmfuls of whipped cream. Roxy let out a shriek and ducked as Dirk stood back, his arms crossed and his lips quirked in amusement. Jane, knowing her friend's habits well, darted back immediately, and Jake quickly followed suit. Roxy looked around, at the cream on her hands and in her hair and all over her face, too. Dirk was the nearest target, and she tackled him, trying to get as much of the sweet but sticky substance off of herself as she could.

This, of course, led to a messy four-person game of something between wrestling and tag. When Jane finally wheezed "Truce! Truce!" from their pile on the floor, dropping her head onto Dirk's shoulder while Roxy lay across her legs and Jake was lying on his back, Roxy finally looked around the room and saw the banners.

"Guys...?" she asked, sitting up. "What are these for?"

"For you, of course," Jake replied with a broad grin. "We wanted to celebrate something, and we decided that you were as good a candidate as any!"

"More specifically, the fact that you finally got rid of that shitty drinking problem," Dirk added, wiping cream from his hair with a look of disgust. "Fuck, this stuff is sticky!"

Jane laughed. "Yes, it is, Strider! It _is _whipped cream, you know."

"You did this for me?" Roxy asked, her voice soft and full of wonder as she gazed at all the decorations and the banner with her name on it. Jane wanted to hug her, if they weren't all sticky and covered in cream.

"Of course we did it for you," Jake responded. "We're proud of you."

"We love you, Ro-lal," Jane added with an earnest smile at her friend, who looked almost tearfully happy. Roxy suddenly lunged over to hug her, regardless of said cream being sticky and kind of gross, and Jane laughingly patted her back, smiiling broadly.

"Thank you guys so much," the blonde girl said, her light pink eyes shining as she looked around at each of them in turn. "Oh my gosh, I don't even—I don't know what to say!"

"Let's go get cleaned up," Dirk suggested. "I'm pretty sure I smell dinner, and I don't know about you guys, but I would rather _not _eat a cold dinner."

"You will do no such thing," Jane scolded. "Yes, everyone up now," she clapped her hands twice. "Food is ready and getting cool!"

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><p>The square was packed with costumed dancers, all whirling about in swirls of color that swelled to the music playing from the chamber orchestra on stage. Jane beamed, looking around at the vendors with hot chocolate or warm cider and pie and other foods, lining the square. All around them were laughing and joking and smiling people, and above were the stars, twinkling faintly through the bright lights of the city.<p>

Roxy, dressed in an elegant, bright pink gown slashed with bold streaks of black, immediately started swaying in time to the music. "Someone come dance with me!" she demanded, holding out her hands and looking at her friends expectantly. Jake stepped up and joined her, and in a flurry of pink and forest green they joined the twirling dancers, laughing as they went. Jane watched them go, a smile on her face. Roxy was a good dancer, a fact that was often overlooked, and what Jake lacked in elegance he made up in enthusiasm.

Looking up at Dirk, she offered her arm to him, and they linked elbows. He had a long, dark coat and a striking orange scarf, knitted by Roxy a little messily, and his hair was swept back. Combined with his tall, lean figure, it made him cut quite the impressive figure. Next to him, Jane wore a long blue dress and a thick sweater, plus her hat. The wind was chilly, and it made her glad that her sweater was so warm—that biting wind seemed quite miserable to those people who were less ready for the weather!

"Do you want to stop and get some apple cider?" Dirk asked, guiding their steps as they wandered the crowd so that they neared the line of food vendors. Dinner was still filling their stomachs quite pleasantly, but a hot drink would certainly be welcome against the chill of the fall evening.

"I would love to," she answered, taking a deep breath and relishing the feeling of the nippy air on her face. Dirk grinned down at her as they stepped into line at the cider stall, and Jane lightly nudged him in response.

"What else do you want to do this evening?" he asked. The wind picked up, and Jane casually stepped closer to his side, keeping him between herself and most of the cold. Dirk rolled his eyes but loosely wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Well, we definitely have to do a lot of dancing," she said as they stepped forward, the line moving up. "Oh, and we can decorate some pumpkins! That would be fun, don't you think?"

"Fuck yes, most definitely," he nodded. Jane reached up to brush his hair away from his eyes.

"And afterwards, we're all going to spend the night together and watch movies and whatnot, too," she added, just in case he'd forgotten. It would be just like him to absentmindedly wander off to tinker with one of his robots. He had actually done that one year, after all.

"I know, I know," he laughed. "Damn, are you guys never gonna let that one go?"

"Nope, never," Jane grinned widely, shaking her head. "You might have wanted to think about that one _before _you started to walk off—oh wait, I suppose you weren't thinking, were you?"

"Ha ha fucking ha, that's so funny, Crocker," Dirk rolled his eyes again. "I'm laughing _so _hard."

"No, you're not," Jane shook her head, trying not to laugh as she regarded him. "But," she added, eyes twinkling mischievously, "don't forget we'll be sleeping in the same room tonight, and I know where you're ticklish, Strider."

Dirk frowned at her. "Don't even fucking _think_ about it."

"Too late!" she hooted with laughter, and Dirk ruffled her hair affectionately. Jane looked up at him with a fond smile, thinking that it was sad how a week ago, they all had been separate and hurting, dealing with their own grief and problems and pulling away. This festival was fun, but more than that it was something that she could tell they all desperately had needed. The four of them were little more than children pushed into the role of adulthood too early, and they were barely able to keep afloat in this sea of uncertainty that accompanied solitude. It was much better to have friends to navigate it with, wasn't it?

At that moment, she and Dirk arrived at the front of the line, and he bought them two hot apple ciders, handing one cup back to her as they walked back to the edge of the dance floor to try and spot Jake and Roxy amidst the twirling couples and the laughter accompanying the strains of music floating through the air.

"Do you see them?" Dirk asked, peering at the crowd, and Jane shook her head in the negative.

"Nope," she said. "They're around here somewhere, though. Maybe they're just on the other side!"

"That would be our luck," Dirk shrugged and nodded once. "Sounds about right, huh?"

"You're telling me," Jane sighed, tossing her now-empty cup into a nearby trash receptacle before she turned back to Dirk with a stern finger. "But hush, none of that gloomy talk tonight, mister!"

He laughed, holding up his hands placatingly. "Alright, alright. No gloomy talk, got it. There will be so little talk of gloom and shit like it that—you know what, fuck extended metaphors, too. Ironic or not, I am not awake enough for that shit."

Jane shook her head. "Another project due this morning?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't start until around midnight yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"Why am I not surprised," she laughed at him. "You can go to bed early tonight, then. I'll let it slide this time!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Dirk grinned back as the song playing ended and the next one began. "Forget the damn homework and dance with me?" he asked, holding out a hand, and with a smile Jane placed her fingers in his, her other hand resting comfortably on his shoulder. He placed one hand at her waist and squeezed her hand, then with measured steps pulled her out onto the dance floor.

Neither of them was as fluid or at ease in a waltz as Roxy was, but Dirk had some knowledge of Skaian traditional dances and Jane was a quick learner, light on her feet, and after years of attending festivals she had some idea of how they worked, so the two of them did fairly well, keeping up with the beat and only stumbling or tripping once or twice.

After several dances, Jane was laughing at the sheer exhilaration of the tight turns and fast steps, both her and Dirk barely able to keep up without messing up. The movement had gotten her nice and warm, and Dirk was grinning broadly as they once again almost missed a step. His nose and cheeks were red from the chill, and Jane told him so, giggling, as he shrugged it off.

"Very cute," she added, and Dirk snorted.

"Cute as fuck," he agreed. "Ironically, of course."

"Of course," Jane nodded solemnly, making the mistake of looking him in the eye rather than concentrating on her feet, and they both tripped.

Several more songs later, Roxy and Jake found them during a reel, and they swapped partners—well really, Roxy grabbed Jane's arm and shoved Jake at Dirk, and then the swirl of dancers swallowed them again. Jane laughed brightly as Roxy twirled her around quickly and they began to skip in time to the music, catching glimpses of the lanternlight and stars and buildings and colorfully dressed people surrounding them as they whirled around and around and around.

Roxy whooped with joy as she led Jane through a complicated series of steps that the smaller girl honestly had no idea how they pulled off, skipping about. "Having fun, Janey?" she asked excitedly, and Jane nodded with another laugh torn from her lips by the wind as they rushed around and around.

"Fun, yes! Trouble keeping up, also yes!" she called breathlessly, and Roxy laughed.

When the reel ended and a slower, more sedate menuette began, Jane found time to breathe, laughing, and Roxy beamed.

"I really needed this tonight," she said, letting go of Jane's hand for a moment to tuck her wind-mussed hair behind her ear again. "Thank you so much, Janey."

"Anytime!" Jane beamed. "I'm really happy for you." It was true, too! She couldn't have been prouder of her friend. It was wonderful that she'd overcome her problem and it was wonderful that they were all happy tonight and it was just wonderful in general and wow, she was really happy tonight!

Roxy squeezed her hand and smiled, and Jane resolved to hug her as soon as they got off the dance floor. Hugging her right now, tempting as it was, would not only disrupt the other girl's flawlessly executed, gorgeous dancing, but also would probably end up with Jane falling over because they got bumped by all the people around them.

Several hours later found all four of them back in their little underground meetingplace, lying on both couches which had been pushed together to form a strange makeshift bed, with the crystal movie screen playing one of several films they were watching that night. It was late, and Jane was starting to doze off against Roxy's shoulder. Dirk was already asleep, his head resting on Jane's lap, while Roxy and Jake were still happily wide awake, watching as the characters onscreen had an argument about... wait, what was going on, anyway? Jane must have fallen asleep and woken up again, because she had no idea why anyone would be arguing about the schematics of controls to a space cruiser.

But that aside, as she looked at her three friends, all of them smiling—Dirk a slight, peaceful one, while Roxy and Jake were laughing and excitedly watching the movie and sharing popcorn—she knew they would be alright. They had each other, and really, other than that, was there anything else that she needed to be happy?

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><p><em>AN: Happy Halloween everyone! And happy fall in general! Shoutout to LordPeanut - you're awesome and thanks for being so patient while I'm a dinosaur with requests! I hope you liked this, hehe. Short and sweet, right?<em>

_Thanks for reading!_


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